Vehicular support for a mortar



Dec. 24, 1968 E. POPPE 3,417,659

VEHICULAR SUPPORT FOR A MORTAR Filed Feb. 16, 1967 INVENTOR EWALD POPPE FIGI BY M

ATTOR EY United States Patent 3,417,659 VEHICULAR SUPPORT FOR A MORTAR Ewald Poppe, Obervellmar, Germany, assignor to Rheinstahl Henschel A.G., Kassel, Germany, a corporation of Germany Filed Feb. 16, 1967, Ser. No. 616,718 Claims priority, application Germany, Nov. 11, 1966, R 44,560 5 Claims. (Cl. 89-40) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a support for mounting a heavy gun, particularly a mortar, in a vehicle. The support comprises a horizontal support means which is positioned transversely to the vehicle driving direction and in proximity to the bottom of the vehicle. The support means is supported by ball and socket joints at the sides of the vehicle, the 'ball and socket joints receiving journals therein which are fixed to the end of the support means.

In the support of the present invention, the support means is so positioned that, when rounds are fired, only those forces and moments are transmitted from the securing means to the hull of the vehicle which can be best absorbed by the hull on the basis of the configuration and rigidity thereof.

Known to the art are types of mounts or supports for heavy guns, such as mortars, in which the firing accuracy of the gun is increased by the anchorage or attaching means thereof to the hull of the vehicle. In this case, the attachment point of the gun is intended to be in the undeflected position at the moment the projectile emerges from the barrel of the gun. The solution to this problem is not provided here by means of an additional blast-releasing device but, rather, by means of an appropriate dimensioning of the entire attaching or supporting element itself, which solves the problem once and for all, as taught in German Patent No. 1,188,980.

Also known to the art are solutions of the problem in which a supporting beam, positioned transversely to the vehicle driving direction, is secured to the bottom of the vehicle hull and on which the heavy gun is supported with the lower rear end thereof approximately in the center of the vehicle. The ends of the beam are connected to the hull at the lower portion of the sides thereof and they require longitudinal welding seams between the bottom and the side walls of the hull.

A different type of support is known in the art wherein a beam, positioned transversely to the driving direction in proximity to the bottom of the vehicle hull, has two lateral arms connected thereto in a manner resistant to bending and which are secured to the upper edge of the side walls of the hull at the point where the walls of the hull adjoin those portions horizontally positioned above the vehicle tracks. In this case, the lateral arms also act as transverse beams and extend essentially parallel to the side walls of the hull up to the upper edges thereof where they are secured. The side walls of the hull thus may be utilized as supporting chords of the lateral arms, note US. Patent No. 3,165,973.

The disadvantage which is common to all of the solutions discussed above is that the large-surfaced and rigid connection with the sides or bottom of the hull of the vehicle, which is required for reasons of stability, will either produce locally high stresses on the welded scams or will highly stress the side walls with respect to torsion.

The mounting within the hull must be effected primarily by means of welding and the rough tolerance vari- Patented Dec. 24, 1968 ations of the hull must be taken into consideration and compensated by truing. Exchangeability of the entire mounting support is impossible in such constructions.

A further disadvantage of the aforementioned solutions is that the mounting into, for example, the present day customary sheet metal hulls, is possible only with difiicnlty for reasons of rigidity because of the fixed end moments and high axial forces which arise at the points of attachment and are due to the fact that the support means is deflected when rounds are fired.

In connection with the attachment of a heavy gun, such as a mortar, in a vehicle, it must be taken into account that the recoil forces of the gun being exerted on the vehicle 'hull must neither damage the latter nor plastically deform it. A possible deformation could alter the direction of the barrel of the gun, in other words, the angle of elevation or the azimuth angle thereof, at the moment the projectile leaves the barrel, thus considerably reducing the accuracy thereof. Generally speaking, the weight of the supporting means should be as low as possible, consistent with the required rigidity thereof.

The present invention eliminates the disadvantages and drawbacks discussed above and takes into account the rigidity, which is required for proper mounting of heavy guns, to a greater extent than was done according to the known state of the art.

In accordance with the present invention, a support means is positioned above the bottom of the vehicle hull transversely to the driving direction of the vehicle and is secured at both ends thereof to the side walls of the hull by means of ball and socket joint bearings in a manner such that the centers of the ball and socket bearings and the position of the spherical support for the mortar are on a common axis.

One embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates one half of a support means mounted between the side walls of a vehicle for supporting a heavy gun in the vehicle, the hull. of the latter being fabricated from sheet metal, and

FIGURE 2 illustrates the arrangement of the spherical bearing surfaces of the traverse supporting means.

The central portion 1 of the support means, which is constructed in a generally tubular configuration, carries the mount 2 of a heavy gun, such as a mortar, the center 3 of the mount being positioned on a common axis xx with the centers of the journal pins 4, only one of which is shown in the drawing. The inclined, generally conical, elements 5 are welded to the central portion 1 of the support means and include the aforementioned journals 4 each being positioned in one ball and socket joint bearing 6. The ball and socket joint bearings are protected by means of the gaskets 7 from any dirt which might inadvertently penetrate into the joints. The laterally-elastic torsional moment supports 8, which are welded on the two inclined generally conical elements 5, bring about, by way of the definition of the fixed point in the fittings 9, the required fixation of the angular position necessary for firing. The fittings 9 are supported on the inner boxshaped longitudinal girders 11 which are mounted at the bottom of the hull and are retained at the side walls 12, which latter are fabricated from sheet metal, with the aid of the bolts 13 and nuts 14, the bolts 13 being positioned in the steel bushings 15. In order to increase the bearing surfaces of the bolt heads 13, steel strips 16 are mounted On the outside of the hull.

FIGURE 2 shows the spherical bearing portions 10 which dlirectly transmit into the fittings 9 the lateral movement or force generated during firing of the heavy gun.

The advantages afforded by the construction of the present invention reside particularly in that the support means, being fabricated in a tubular shape, is provided with laterally-inclined conical elements which are welded to the tubular portion and which end in the journals. As a result of the combination of the gliding journals and ball and socket joint bearings, only transverse forces will be imparted to the lateral steel fittings during firing within the limiting angle of elevation. These forces are introduced, by way of the ball and socket joint bearings, directly into the lateral fittings bolted onto the sides of the hull. The axial forces generated during firing in the transversing angle or range are transmitted, by way of spherical bearing surfaces, directly into the fittings and bypass the ball and socket joint bearings.

Installation of the support means into the fittings, bolted to the side of the hull, is effected by means of an axial clamping action by way of the aforementioned spherical bearing surfaces in order to prevent the occurrence of any firing inaccuracies in the support as a result of axial play of the support means.

An essential feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the centers of the journals and the center of the spherical mortar support are on a common axis. By reason of this structural configuration, only very slight torsional moments will occur as a result of firing, which moments will be counteracted by means of a laterally-elastic torsional moment support.

The fixation of the angular support means position for achieving the greatest possible moment of inertia with a central angle of elevation or quadrant angle is accomplished by means of two lateral fixed points outside of the aforementioned common axis xx in a manner such that the fixed points are located at the fittings bolted to the sides of the hull and, thus, makes possible a simple installation while eliminating machining of the hull.

As a result of the ball and socket joint bearings, any inaccuracies of the hull walls are compensated so that any fitting work during the mounting of the side fittings is unnecessary. The mounting of the fittings is effected by Way of fitted bolts, the bores for which are pre-drilled from the outside of the hull, and are ground together so that an expensive and time-consuming machining is avoided. The contact surfaces between the hull wall and the fitting are improved with a self-hardening synthetic resin which makes finishing of the hull unnecessary while simultaneously providing for a uniform support and transmission of forces.

In a modified embodiment of the invention, the torsional moment support may serve for rotating the support means, together with the gun rigidly mounted thereon, Within the limiting angle of elevation about the longitudinal axis thereof in order to vary the quadrant elevation. In this embodiment, the gun support is pivotally connected with the support means only within the traversing angle or range.

The forces necessary for varying the quadrant elevation may be produced by way of the torsional moment support with the aid of mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic means, not shown.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, vehicle sides and a vehicle bottom, a support for mounting a heavy gun comprising horizontal support means extending between said vehicle sides and in proximity to said vehicle bottom, ball and socket means carried in each of said vehicle sides and supporting opposite ends of said support means, a mount for a heavy gun carried by said support means at a position intermediate the opposite ends of said support means, the center of said mount being positioned on a common axis with the centers of said ball and socket means.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said support means is 'of substantially tubular construction.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including fitting means having spherical bearing surfaces for receiving axial forces from said support means.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said ball and socket means have gliding journal means connected with opposite ends of said support means received therein.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said heavy gun is a mortar.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,531,587 11/1950 Richardson 89-37 3,165,973 1/1965 Bohrmann 8940 FOREIGN PATENTS 893,726 10/ 1944 France.

BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

S. C. BENTLEY, Assistant Examiner. 

